# Musculoskeletal Mechanobiology Core (MMBC)

> **NIH NIH P30** · INDIANA UNIVERSITY INDIANAPOLIS · 2024 · $146,380

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
The mechanical environment is a foundational input to the proper development, composition, and function of
the musculoskeletal system. Probing the integrity of mechanical signaling mechanisms in bone and muscle
require very specialized techniques, expertise, and instrumentation, all of which have been a hallmark of the IU
bone group for many years. This application describes the creation, scope, operation, and administration of a
unique core facility, housed within the newly created Indiana Center for Musculoskeletal Biology (ICMH), that
provides dedicated infrastructure to support investigators in the area of mechanobiology for in vivo and in vitro
applications. The core is directed by Dr. Alex Robling and co-directed by Dr. Joey Wallace, who bring considerable
experience and breadth to the core leadership. The core will offer services related to in vivo skeletal loading,
in vivo muscle loading, in vivo disuse experiments (for both bone and muscle), in vitro mechanotransduction
models, and development of new techniques to move the field forward. Training and outreach components
are included, to bring more investigators into the field and to educate those who wish to mechanobiology
approaches into their lab as standard practice. Aim 1: Provide in vivo bone and muscle mechanotransduction
services, including anabolic (ulnar loading, tibia loading, muscle electrostimulation, vibration, treadmill), and
catabolic (tail suspension, Botox paralysis, immobilization) techniques. Aim 2: Provide in vitro bone and muscle
cellular mechanotransduction services, including parallel plate fluid flow and substrate strain techniques for
cultured bone and muscle cells from a variety of sources (e.g., CRISPR-targeted cell lines, primary cells from
mutant mice, transfected/infected cells, drug-treated cells). Aim 3: Provide training and education in the use
and interpretation of mechanobiology models, including theory, application, technical constraints, and advice
on next steps, to investigators, with the goal of increasing the awareness of mechanobiological approaches to
MSK-related research questions. Aim 4: Innovate and advance the mechanobiology field in technical aspects
of research strategy and tools, so that current and future investigators have a greater selection of appropriate
models to test more focused hypotheses related to mechanobiology. In summary, this core will support the existing,
highly experienced investigators, will train new investigators in these approaches, and will offer services
to those that had not previously considered these technologies to address their scientific questions and expedite
discovery of treatments and therapies for MSK diseases.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10844230
- **Project number:** 1P30AR083854-01
- **Recipient organization:** INDIANA UNIVERSITY INDIANAPOLIS
- **Principal Investigator:** ALEXANDER G ROBLING
- **Activity code:** P30 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $146,380
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-09-02 → 2029-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10844230

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10844230, Musculoskeletal Mechanobiology Core (MMBC) (1P30AR083854-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-16 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10844230. Licensed CC0.

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